Game No. 3 - Kansas Travels To Southern Mississippi For Friday Night ESPN Game

Sept. 13, 2010

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GAME NO. 3 AT SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, 7 p.m. (Central)

Roberts Stadium (36,000), Hattiesburg, Miss.

Radio: Jayhawk Network

(Bob Davis, David Lawrence, Nate Bukaty, Bob Newton [producer])

www.kuathletics.com (All Access)

Sirius – ch.121, XM – ch. 141

TV: ESPN (Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore)

Live Stats: www.southernmiss.cstv.com

QUICKLY — After defeating No. 15 Georgia Tech last Saturday, Kansas (1-1 overall, 0-0 Big 12) will head to Hattiesburg, Miss. for a Friday night game at Southern Mississippi (1-1, 0-0 Conference USA). The game will be televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. Central.

– KU is making its first trip to the state of Mississippi for a football game and will play a team from the state of Mississippi for the second time (lost 10-0 vs. Mississippi State in the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl).

– KU is playing a non-Saturday, non-conference road game for the third time in the last five years. The Jayhawks lost 37-31 in double-overtime at Toledo in 2006 and 37-34 on a field goal on the game’s final play at South Florida in 2008.

– KU is playing its first road game of the year and has lost four straight road contests since winning at UTEP last year (lost at Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Texas).

– KU is playing on ESPN for the first time since hosting Texas Tech on the network in 2008.

– KU is making its 18th-straight television appearance.

– KU is 21-3 in its last 24 non-conference games.

37TH STATE — As mentioned, Kansas is playing in the state of Mississippi for the first time and it will mark the 37th different state (plus Washington, D.C.) Kansas has played football in in its history.

NON-SATURDAY GAMES — Kansas is playing its first of two non-Saturday games this season (KU will host Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 14). The Jayhawks are 68-46-11 all-time in non-Saturday games, including an 8-10 mark since 1970. Four of the last six times KU has played during the week, it has been in a bowl game. KU is 8-5 in its last 13 non-Saturday games dating back to is bowl victory against BYU in 1992.

LAST TIME OUT — Redshirt freshman QB Jordan Webb tossed three touchdown passes as Kansas upset No. 15 Georgia Tech, 28-25, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Webb, who earned his first career start versus the Yellow Jackets, spurred the Jayhawks to the win as Turner Gill collected his first victory as the head coach at Kansas. The win, which snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Jayhawks, marked KU’s first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 12 Missouri in the final regular-season game of the 2008 season. It was KU’s first win at home over a ranked team since beating No. 23 Missouri on Sept. 27, 2003. Webb and the Jayhawks rebounded well from a season-opening loss to North Dakota State by using a balanced offensive attack. Webb found seven different receivers on his way to completing 18-of-29 passes. He accumulated 179 yards through the air, while connecting with three different receivers for touchdowns. The Jayhawks were led on the ground by true freshman RB James Sims who recorded 101 yards on 17 carries. Sims, who was seeing action for the first time in his collegiate career, also scored his first career touchdown. Sims is the first KU running back to amass more than 100 rushing yards in his freshman debut. His 101 rushing yards were also the most by a Jayhawk freshman since Toben Opurum tallied 109 yards versus Southern Miss. on Sep. 26, 2009.

KU-USM SERIES — Kansas and Southern Mississippi will be meeting for the second time in history, as well as the second year in a row. Kansas defeated the visiting Eagles 35-28 in Lawrence on Sept. 26, 2009.

KU VS. CONFERENCE USA — Kansas owns an 18-9 record against current members of Conference USA, with two victories against the league last year – won at UTEP 49-7 and won at home vs. Southern Mississippi 35-28. KU is 4-0 against UAB, 3-0 vs. Houston, 1-0 vs. Rice, Southern Miss., Tulane and UTEP and 5-5 vs. Tulsa all-time.

KU-USM LAST YEAR — WR Kerry Meier hauled in 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including the game’s final touchdown to lead No. 20 Kansas to a 35-28 victory against visiting Southern Mississippi on Sept. 26, 2009. KU’s victory ended the nation’s second-longest winning streak at eight games. QB Todd Reesing hit 30 of 41 passes for 331 yards. On the game’s fourth play Reesing hit Meier for a 62-yard touchdown. The teams traded touchdowns and were tied at 14 in the second quarter before Jayhawk RB Toben Opurum scored on a reception and a run to put KU up 28-14 with 7:19 left in the third quarter. USM responded with consecutive touchdowns to tie the game a the end of the third quarter. Meier scored the game-winner with 14:15 left in the game. KU held USM to just 27 yards in the fourth quarter as the Eagles threw an interception, punted twice and had a drive end on downs to finish the game. KU ran up 433 yards on 87 plays, while controlling the clock for 36:21. Current Jayhawks with offensive stats in the game included Opurum (28 rushes for 109 yards and two catches for 21 yards), WR Johnathan Wilson (five catches for 52 yards), WR Bradley McDougald (seven for 46 yards) and TE Tim Biere (one for 13). Defensively CB Chris Harris registered 15 tackles, LB Drew Dudley had 10 stops and DE Jake Laptad made six tackles.